Déjà vu

Déjà vu. I did not understand the true meaning of this phrase until I came to Israel. I experienced Déjà vu every day during the Trek. As I was eating selected Mediterranean cuisines made from selected Mediterranean ingredients, as I was interacting with the locals and noticing their strange-to-an-American but familiar-to-me mannerisms, as I was hearing its history and drawing conclusions from past events, I felt Déjà vu as often as I heard “Yallah!” from our Trek leaders and peers (which was quite a lot). But I did not expect to experience this as much as I thought I would before coming to Israel Trek, as I expected its society, and its people to be significantly different from its Middle-Eastern neighbors. Sure, the language and the flag are different, but people in very similar geographic locations are bound to be similar, and I witnessed this first-hand.

While I experienced Déjà vu a lot, I also experienced unfamiliarity frequently. One related memorable moment was when I realized that almost all the Israelis we interacted with, almost all the waiters and the waitresses that served us during our meal breaks, and almost all people we passed by during our walks received a formal military education ranging from 2–3 years for both men and women. This concept was foreign to most of my American fellow Trekkers, but even I, an international student where a 6–12 month conscription is mandatory for males, was taken aback and impressed by this. I was even more impressed when I realized the Israeli Armed Forces adapted the unique geographical and political challenges it faces, and incorporated that into its conscription training. One such example is the Kombina characteristic, which demands creative thinking, resourcefulness, adaptability and the go-for-it attitude. I respect this tremendously, and I saw a society live by this notion live.

There were also moments during our trek when I felt Déjà vu, and when I thought I should feel Déjà vu but didn’t. These were when I interacted with our fellow Trekkers. While I knew a substantial number of my peers before coming to the Trek, I met most of the others for the first time at the beginning of the program, and we interacted in a deeper level only once we arrived in Israel. This created a period where I thought I should have met them at Harvard, because obviously, we go to the same school, how come we’ve never met? Of course, everyone here has their GCal’s packed to the brim with their own lives and their own select group of friends and peers, but it’s very interesting to note that I only get to see certain people here only because of Israel Trek events and in Israel, and not at the Yard or the Science Center or any other place at this place that is no more wider than two miles.

Were there other certain points in time where I felt Déjà vu? Oh yeah. When I was pulled into secondary screening at Ben-Gurion Airport (where Laura, one of our amazing(!) Trek Leaders, patiently waited for me until I was through, and accompanied me back to our hotel when I . None of these experiences made the Trek any less enjoyable for me. I got to experience certain events that are unusual, and I cherish these moments. Above all, I’m glad I got to experience all of my Déjà vu’s and non- Déjà vu’s with a great group of people, and I give my sincere thanks to our organizers and peers for making it all possible.